Latest news with #coercion
News24
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News24
Another Diddy ex testifies to ‘obligation' in coerced, choreographed sexual encounters
A key witness, 'Jane,' has provided graphic testimony in the federal trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, alleging coercive sexual encounters. Combs allegedly orchestrated disturbing acts involving multiple women, with testimony also backing claims made by ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura. The trial has featured intense courtroom moments, including accusations of witness manipulation by Combs and shocking allegations from witnesses about violent and exploitative behaviour. A key witness took the stand in the federal trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs Thursday, giving graphic detail of choreographed sexual encounters with the music mogul that were allegedly coercive, testimony that's core to the prosecution's case. The woman, who is speaking in court under the pseudonym Jane, began delivering testimony that is expected to last for days and which so far mirrors descriptions provided by another marquee witness against Combs, his ex-girlfriend Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura. Combs, 55, faces upwards of life in prison if convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking crimes. Both Jane and Ventura are key witnesses to the latter charges. Jane took the stand after some courtroom drama: the judge threatened to remove Combs after he was 'looking at jurors and nodding vigorously' while a different witness testified. Calling Combs's behaviour 'absolutely unacceptable,' Judge Arun Subramanian said, 'It cannot happen again.' READ | 'Sometimes I scream in my sleep': Witness claims Diddy dangled her from 17th-story balcony Communications between a defendant and a jury are strictly prohibited. The court had been hearing testimony from Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Ventura's who had alleged that Combs dangled her from a 17th-story balcony before throwing her against furniture. Combs's gestures to the jury took place as Bongolan was under tense questioning from his defence team, who sought to cast her as an unreliable witness who abused drugs. 'Hotel nights' Jane's testimony was highly anticipated: she began by detailing how she had met Combs through a friend who was dating him at the time. But he came on strongly to Jane, she said, and when her friend got engaged to someone else, she began seeing Combs romantically. Their relationship began in earnest during a whirlwind five-day date at a Miami hotel, she said, describing Combs - as many others during the trial have - as 'larger than life.' READ MORE | Hush money bombshell: Hotel worker testifies Diddy paid to bury Cassie assault video 'I was pretty head over heels for Sean,' she told jurors. Several heady months followed, including a romantic trip to Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas in February 2021. She said Combs first gave her illicit drugs on that trip. When the vacation ended, he wired her $10 000 because she had been unable to work - at the time, she was creating content for brands on social media - and was a single mother. Jane silently collected herself and held her face in a tissue as she described how her blissful early days with Combs took a sharp turn in May 2021 when he began talking about his fantasies of seeing her with other men. She acquiesced because she wanted to make Combs happy, she said, and to her surprise, he arranged for another man she dubbed Don to meet them at a hotel that very night. AFP Jane thought the experience was a one-time thing, but she said instead, it became 'a door I was unable to shut.' The 'hotel nights' became a regular feature of their relationship, Jane told jurors, even when she said she didn't want it. 'He was just dismissive,' she said, saying that approximately 90 percent of their relationship became a pattern of her having sex with other men under Combs's direction. Full-time job Jane's descriptions of the 'hotel nights' - her provocative attire that Combs requested, red mood lighting, heavy drug use and copious baby oil - closely tracked with the testimony that Ventura gave on the stand of what she called 'freak-offs.' Jane said that the amount of time she spent getting ready for hotel nights with Combs, which he demanded at a moment's notice and sometimes flew her to, meant she did not work. Money from Combs and child support from her previous relationship were essentially her only income, she said. That testimony echoed Ventura's, who had said her freak-offs with Combs came to feel like a full-time job. Combs put Jane up in a home in Los Angeles for $10 000 a month, she said, and when she spoke against hotel nights, he would bring up that point. ALSO READ | 'You post the great times': Witness asked to defend Instagram posts in Sean Combs trial 'My feeling of obligation really started to stem from the fact that my partner was paying my rent,' she said. Jane told jurors their relationship continued up until Combs's arrest in September 2024. Prosecutors say he ran a criminal enterprise of high-ranking employees and bodyguards who enforced his power with illicit acts, including kidnapping, bribery and arson. Along with Ventura and Jane, witnesses have included former employees of Bad Boy Enterprises, Combs's company. Jane's testimony will continue on Friday. The trial is expected to last at least another month.
Malay Mail
31-05-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Drug mules or victims? Confronting the legal dilemma of forced criminality — Haezreena Begum Abdul Hamid
MAY 31 — Malaysia is facing a pressing human rights and legal crisis. We see a growing number of citizens being exploited by international drug syndicates as couriers, and many are ending up on death row in foreign countries. From 2021 to 2023, 77 Malaysians were arrested overseas for drug trafficking. In 2023 alone, 28 individuals were detained in various countries including the United Kingdom, France, China and the Maldives. As of early 2024, 74 Malaysians are reported to be on death row abroad, convicted for transporting narcotics across borders — often under circumstances that suggest coercion or deception. The majority were not hardened criminals, but individuals lured by false job offers, online romance scams, or the promise of quick money. Syndicates have used social media platforms to offer payments of RM5,000 to RM10,000 per trip to smuggle drugs, exploiting economic desperation and emotional vulnerability. In early 2024, British authorities noted a threefold increase in cannabis seizures at Scottish airports involving Malaysians, underscoring the scale of the problem. Closer to home, the Johor Bahru–Singapore trafficking corridor has become a known route for cross-border smuggling. In one high-profile case, Pannir Selvam Pranthaman was convicted in Singapore in 2017 for trafficking over 50 grams of diamorphine. He has consistently maintained he was unaware the parcel he was carrying contained drugs and alleged he was coerced by a trafficker known as 'Anand.' The late Kalwant Singh, executed in 2022, similarly claimed he was forced into transporting narcotics by an individual identified only as 'Anna.' These cases reveal a deeper systemic flaw, as drug syndicates exploit loopholes in Malaysia's legal framework and take advantage of jurisdictional boundaries that restrict foreign authorities such as Singapore from investigating trafficking operations within Malaysian territory. Despite the clear patterns of coercion and manipulation, Malaysia's current legal structure provides little to no protection for individuals caught in these scenarios. While the Penal Code does include defences such as duress/threat (s.94) and mistake of fact (s.76), these provisions are narrowly defined and often inapplicable in complex trafficking cases involving psychological pressure or deceit. More critically, Section 25 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM) only grants immunity to victims for immigration-related offences — not for more serious crimes like drug trafficking, even when such acts were committed under coercion. Drug syndicates exploit loopholes in Malaysia's legal framework and take advantage of jurisdictional boundaries. — Unsplash pic This legal gap is at odds with international norms. Malaysia is a signatory to the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (Palermo Protocol), which promotes a victim-centred approach and the principle of non-punishment — meaning victims should not be penalised for crimes committed as a direct consequence of their exploitation. Countries such as the United Kingdom have already translated this into domestic law through provisions in the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which provide statutory defences for trafficked persons compelled to commit offences. Malaysia, however, has yet to adopt similar legal safeguards. Without legislative reform, the government risks compounding the harm faced by victims. Trafficked Malaysians who are prosecuted abroad often lack adequate consular assistance, legal representation, or mechanisms for proper victim identification. The absence of guidelines or institutional support means that many are misclassified as criminals and denied access to justice, despite strong indicators of coercion. This reflects not only a failure of protection, but a fundamental failure of principle. Moving forward, ATIPSOM must be amended to include broader immunity provisions for victims of trafficking who are coerced into committing serious offences. Section 94 of the Penal Code, which governs duress, should also be revised to recognise psychological coercion and economic manipulation. Additionally, law enforcement, prosecutors, and consular officers must be trained to identify and support potential victims of forced criminality, particularly in cross-border contexts. Malaysia must also strengthen bilateral cooperation with destination countries to ensure the fair treatment, repatriation, and rehabilitation of its citizens who have been exploited by syndicates. Diplomatic intervention is crucial in cases where victims face the death penalty or life imprisonment without the opportunity to raise a trafficking defence. The time has come for Malaysia to move beyond a punitive approach and adopt a rights-based, victim-focused framework that reflects our international obligations and national conscience. Those coerced into crime should not be punished for their own victimisation. * Dr Haezreena Begum Abdul Hamid is a Criminologist and Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Malaya. ** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
New York Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
At the Combs Trial, the Elusive Victim-3 and Other Unsettled Questions
After two weeks of testimony in the racketeering conspiracy and sex-trafficking trial of Sean Combs, the rapper and producer known as Diddy, much of the prosecution's central narrative is clear. Mr. Combs, they say, used his power and wealth, along with violence and threats of blackmail, to coerce women into complying with his elaborate sexual demands that included commercial sex workers. Such coercive behavior was enabled, the government argues, by members of his staff, who helped to arrange and stock the marathon sex sessions known as 'freak-offs' and to clean up any fallout from Mr. Combs's entanglements. The groundwork of the defense's counternarrative has been laid firmly, as well. Mr. Combs, they have argued, while jealous, aggressive and drug-addicted, had nontraditional but consensual sex with long-term girlfriends. That may have led to damaging, interpersonal chaos but it was not sex trafficking, Mr. Combs's lawyers have argued. Even as some of the contours of the case have become more clear through the testimony of Casandra Ventura, Mr. Combs's former girlfriend, and others, major lingering questions will remain when the trial continues next week. Below are three unresolved issues that could affect how the trial, which is estimated to last about six more weeks, pans out. What happened to 'Victim-3'? Before trial, the government repeatedly referred to a woman it called Victim-3, saying that she was subjected to sexual coercion by Mr. Combs outside of any freak-off activity. She was listed prominently in the indictment as an additional person whose experience would demonstrate that Mr. Combs's conduct hurt people beyond Ms. Ventura, the singer known as Cassie who is the prosecution's star witness. But for reasons that have yet to be explained publicly, Victim-3 is no longer expected to take the stand, according to the lawyers involved. The trouble first surfaced two weeks ago when prosecutors told the court they were having a hard time reaching her lawyer. Still, Victim-3, who has been referred to in testimony by only the name Gina, has hovered over the case as Ms. Ventura and others have described Mr. Combs's overlapping romantic and sexual relationships. The defense has aimed to depict Ms. Ventura as a jealous girlfriend, not a victim of coercion, and she was asked repeatedly by Mr. Combs's team about Gina, who he was involved with at the same time. Gina gave a tell-all interview about her relationship with Mr. Combs to the YouTube gossip personality Tasha K in 2019. During it, she described being subjected to regular physical abuse by Mr. Combs — including having her stomach stomped on and head punched — and being made to terminate two pregnancies. Prosecutors said in court papers that Victim-3 had text messages and Notes app journaling that backed up an account of abuse and financial coercion. She was served with a subpoena to appear as a witness, but prosecutors said in court two weeks ago that they were not sure she would honor it and were having trouble reaching her lawyer. This week, Marc Agnifilo, a lawyer for Mr. Combs, acknowledged there might be some difficulty securing Gina's appearance as a witness but noted: 'They are the United States of America. They can get Gina into this courtroom if that is what they want to do. They are choosing not to.' None of the charges against Mr. Combs rely fully on Gina's testimony. Rather, her story was supposed to buttress the broader, complex racketeering conspiracy charge, which aims to show that Mr. Combs ran a criminal enterprise that helped to facilitate and cover up his sex crimes. Even if Gina does not testify, the prosecution has pushed to include evidence related to her relationship with Mr. Combs, saying she is 'very much a part of this case.' The defense is also not ready to just let her fade away. Mr. Combs's lawyers have been arguing that Ms. Ventura stayed in the relationship, not because of blackmail or fear of beatings, but because she loved the music mogul. Gina has emerged in testimony as someone whose relationship with Mr. Combs makes Ms. Ventura's commitment to him clear, even after years of beatings. Through Gina, they have aimed to show that Mr. Combs's infidelity was a larger issue for Ms. Ventura at the time than any alleged abuse. 'Was Gina the main problem in your relationship?' a lawyer for Mr. Combs asked Ms. Ventura on the stand last week. She agreed. Who is part of what the government calls Mr. Combs's 'criminal enterprise'? The wider use of racketeering laws against people who are not mobsters — the people these statutes were first created to pursue — is well established at this point, with people like R. Kelly and Keith Raniere as prime examples. But prosecutors using federal racketeering laws still need to convince a jury that they are being shown the work of a criminal enterprise. The government's indictment said Mr. Combs used 'security staff, household staff, personal assistants and high-ranking supervisors' to help carry out and cover up crimes including sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice. After two weeks of testimony, though, jurors have heard relatively little to illustrate the government's theory of how Mr. Combs's wider entourage functioned as a criminal organization. One former assistant said Mr. Combs, armed with three guns, brought him on a journey to a potentially dangerous confrontation at a diner. Another assistant said he twice purchased drugs for Mr. Combs and that part of his job involved delivering a 'hotel bag' for Mr. Combs stocked with clothes, candles, liquor and baby oil. Two men hired for sex during freak-offs, Daniel Phillip and Sharay Hayes, described their encounters with Mr. Combs and Ms. Ventura in graphic detail, but they did not mention seeing anyone else from Mr. Combs's circle. The government contends that Mr. Combs's henchmen tried to bomb Kid Cudi's car, and prosecutors' opening statement mentioned Mr. Combs commanding 'an inner circle of bodyguards and high-ranking employees.' But, at this point, prosecutors have not specifically named anyone as a co-conspirator responsible for criminal behavior. It is still early in what is expected to be a lengthy criminal case, but so far it is unclear whether a high-ranking person who helped run Mr. Combs's affairs will emerge as a key witness during the trial. Will videos of the 'freak-offs' emerge as major evidence? With consent such a central question in the case, there had been anticipation that the government would present the jury with video footage of freak-offs as evidence of the degrading abuse that Ms. Ventura had suffered at Mr. Combs's hands. The defense, meanwhile, suggested that any airing of them would help to support Mr. Combs's contention that the sessions, as his lawyers wrote in court papers, show 'adults having consensual sex, plain and simple.' News organizations fought to have some access to the footage so they would be able to assess what they depicted. But the videos were not played for jurors during the four days Ms. Ventura was on the witness stand. Instead, prosecutors asked Ms. Ventura to identify herself in several still images from freak-offs, which they say Mr. Combs sometimes filmed. When Ms. Ventura was shown the images, she identified herself with male escorts — in separate images, Jules, Dave and Greg — and described herself in one image sitting on a couch wearing high heels. Others in the courtroom, aside from the jury, were blocked from viewing the images. (The screens in front of the jurors are fitted with covers so that the content can only be viewed head-on.) The defense also could have played the tapes for the jury during Ms. Ventura's testimony but did not. One of Mr. Combs's lawyers, Teny Geragos, told the judge outside the jury's presence that the defense does intend to play some footage but not until later, during the testimony of a different witness: a government expert who worked to enhance the quality of the videos. The lawyers involved in the case have also discussed sexually explicit videos related to another woman whom Mr. Combs is charged with sex trafficking, who is going by the pseudonym Jane. She is expected to take the stand in the coming weeks, but it remains unclear how much the footage of her will come into play.
Japan Times
22-05-2025
- Japan Times
Postal worker accused of making threatening call to woman using delivery info
A Tokyo postal worker was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of placing a threatening phone call to a woman by using personal information found on her mail, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Suspect Yoichi Nose, of the city's Ota Ward, was taken into custody by the Kamata Police Station on suspicion of violating the postal law and attempted coercion. Nose, a 39-year-old Japan Post employee, allegedly called the woman using a phone number found on a delivery item addressed to her and said, among other things, 'Would it be okay if I uploaded a hidden camera video of you?' Nose has admitted to the allegations, telling investigators, 'I wanted a reason to talk to women, so I started doing this four or five years ago. I've called more than 100 people. I felt a thrill and sexual excitement from talking to them one-sidedly.' Nose is accused of calling the mobile number listed on a delivery package sent to the woman, who is in her 20s and lives in Tokyo. In the call, he reportedly said, 'I've been secretly filming your home for a year. Can I upload your videos to YouTube?' 'If you want me to stop, why don't we meet at the station tomorrow?' he added. According to police, the incident took place between Jan. 28 and Jan. 31. Investigators found approximately 100 images stored on Nose's smartphone of women's personal information — including phone numbers and addresses — photographed directly from their mail. However, no actual hidden camera footage has been discovered. The case came to light after the woman contacted police, reportedly saying, 'A man I don't know called from a blocked number and said he's been secretly filming me.' Japan Post said it is 'currently confirming the facts' and added it would cooperate fully with the police investigation. Translated by The Japan Times
CNN
22-05-2025
- CNN
An Expert Explains Why Survivors Stay Silent - Trial By Jury: Diddy - Podcast on CNN Audio
An Expert Explains Why Survivors Stay Silent Trial By Jury: Diddy 26 mins As the second week of Sean "Diddy" Combs' racketeering and sex trafficking trial unfolds, the abuse and coercion alleged by Combs' ex-girlfriend has been in the spotlight. Laura Coates speaks with Dr. Lisa Fontes, a professor and expert on intimate partner violence and coercive control, to unpack what the jury heard and what it reveals about the prosecution's strategy.
